FUCKIN' A! >>>

This Sunday, Hutch Harris and Kathy Foster's the Thermals will be at Northern in Olympia -- just another amazing show brought to you by Oly's amazing all-ages arts and music space.

Naturally, and as we mentioned yesterday, we'll be previewing the show in this week's Volcano.

The good Rev. Adam McKinney interviewed the Thermals last month and has been sitting on a gold mine of quotes waiting for this moment.

And, there's been a new development! The Volcano's Nikki Talotta will be reviewing the show - posting her take on the band's first ever Olympia performance to Spew as fast as humanly possible once the Thermals strike their final chord.

Until then, like yesterday, you'll simply have to make due with a bit of music video goodness from the band.

FUCKIN' A! >>>

This Sunday, Hutch Harris and Kathy Foster's the Thermals will be at Northern in Olympia -- just another amazing show brought to you by Oly's amazing all-ages arts and music space.

Naturally, we'll be previewing the show in this week's Volcano. The good Rev. Adam McKinney interviewed the Thermals last month and has been sitting on a gold mine of quotes waiting for this moment.

Until Thursday's Volcano hits the street and you're able to delve into McKinney's interview, you'll simply have to make due with a bit of music video goodness from the band.

SATURDAY, JAN. 15, 2011>>>

1. If you know what's good for you you'll want to check out A Leaf, the Merry Way and Hail at the all-ages Peabody Waldorf Boutique and Gallery, 745 Broadway, Tacoma.

2. This weekend at the Puyallup Fairgrounds (specifically, the Americraft ShowPlex, Pavilion and Centennial Building) the Western Washington All Breed Dog Show Cluster will go down in epic fashion - pitting the most privileged and pampered yappers you'll ever seen in a battle royal for canine supremacy.

3. As the Volcano's Jason Baxter notes, "Portland multi-instrumentalists Dragging an Ox Through Water and Ghost to Falco make enveloping, hard-to-categorize music." Today, both acts play the Den @ urbanXchange. It's all ages, and sure to be awesome.

4. Ever third Saturday of the month at the Barnes and Noble in Olympia, the "American Girl Book and Craft Club" meets, makes merry, and gets creative. According to hype, the action - intended for the kiddies - is led by Miss Brie, and the supplies are provided. It starts at noon.

5. Ring Round the Moon has opened at Lakewood Playhouse and runs through Feb. 6. Today, the show starts at 8 p.m. Featuring twins - played by the same actor - Ring Round the Moon is described as, "A quick-paced satire of upper-class pretension and lower-class ambition."

FRIDAY, JAN. 14, 2011 >>>

1. Makeup Monsters will play their last show in quite some time tonight at The New Frontier Lounge tonight. As the Volcano's Jason Baxter so aptly noted in this week's paper, "Makeup Monsters (formerly the duo of Shayne Weeks and Isaac Solverson, now a trio including Jay Clancy) are a band that's frustratingly talented, handsome and widely beloved. They're also remarkably young - something that's been discussed to death here and elsewhere. MM's youthful energy is in keeping with their aural ancestry, which dates back to the distant year of 2001, when vibrant, fresh-faced sensations (the Strokes, et al.) helped re-legitimize FM "alt" radio with contagious, candied rock. But rather than simply regurgitate those millennial tropes, Weeks, Solverson and Clancy make them their own, infusing feel-good jingles with rhythmic restlessness and barbed, sometimes-prickly lyrics. Theirs is not your father's rock music, but it might sound a little like a revisionist take on your older brother's."

2. Bates Technical College always gets in on the Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration - and this year is no different. Today, the school will sponsor a free screening of Stanley Nelson's documentary, Freedom Riders, from 11:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the downtown campus.

3. Unschooled in the "neo-cabaret" musical genre? Don't fret - just check out Portland's Vagabond Opera Friday in Olympia. Truly offering music of the world, the six-piece Vagabond Opera reportedly dabbles in sounds spanning the globe - from European cabaret, to Balkan belly dance, to Old World Yiddish theater and beyond. Tonight, the Vagabond Opera takes over the Kenneth J. Minnaeart Center for the Arts in Olympia.

4. What's that rumbling you hear? It's the Advance Auto Parts Monster Jam, bringing demolition to the Tacoma Dome once again - and crushing things throughout the weekend.

5. Comedian Rebecca Corry kicks off a sure-to-be-funny-as-hell weekend stand at the Tacoma Comedy Club tonight. Share the laughs.

LINK: New movies open today

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

THE LOWDOWN ON WHAT'S UP THIS WEEKEND >>>

WEATHER REPORT

Friday: Rain, hi 52, lo47

Saturday: More rain, hi 52, lo 47

Sunday: Even more rain, hi 51, lo 46

>>> FRIDAY, JAN. 14: JIM BASNIGHT

Jim Basnight - of the Moberlys fame - will be playing Friday at The Harmon Tap Room - the action starts at 8 p.m.  Every indie artist should be looking in their backyard and in the scrap heaps of major labels for bands like the Moberlys. The fact that Basnight is still playing a busy year round touring schedule after 35-plus years shows us that he believes in his musical vision and loves what he is does.

• The Harmon Tap Room, 8 p.m., 204 St. Helens Ave., Tacoma, 253.212.2725

>>> SATURDAY, JAN. 15: OLD SCHOOL DROPOUTS

The Old School Dropouts play "party rock," or at least that's the claim. Judging by the shows this band plays and the hot nights of drinking and rocking they seem to inspire, our guess is it's an accurate one. Saturday, the Dropouts will be in Graham at the R & R Live for a serious night of revelry.

• R & R Live, 9 p.m., 9807 224th St. E, Suite 120, Graham, 253.375.7155 

>>> SUNDAY, JAN. 16: FROST/NIXON

As you know if you've seen the erstwhile Opie's 2008 movie version, Frost/Nixon is Peter Morgan's dramatic distillation of David Frost's historic 1977 TV interviews with Tricky Dick, in which our 37th president finally admitted to being a nefarious crapsack. As good as Michael Sheen and the Oscar-nominated Skeletor (aka Frank Langella) were in that film, this is one confrontation that deserves to be seen live and in the moment - and so it shall, at Tacoma Little Theatre, opening Jan. 14, and certainly hitting full-stride by Sunday.

• Tacoma Little Theatre, 2 p.m., $15-$24, 210 North I St., Tacoma, 253.272.2281
  

>>> WHERE OUR STAFF IS GOING

STEVE DUNKELBERGER Meat Market Photographer

Dinner with friends and Colin's b-day at PSP, or Kamel Toe for the Ravens Rants video shoot.

RON SWARNER Publisher
Friday, I'm going to catch the great Jim Basnight of The Moberlys fame at the Harmon Tap Room. Saturday night I'll pop over to the Peabody Waldorf to catch the righteous band A Leaf. Love those guys. Sunday morning I'll probably head back to the Harmon Tap Room for the game, on account of them taking half off tabs every Sunday. Can't beat that.

NIKKI TALOTTA Features Writer
This weekend I will be working my magic down at the bar, handing out Best of Olympia 2011! Vote Now! handbills with every drink. I will also be enjoying free movie channels that my husband so craftily earned from Direct TV. Those suckers were going to try and charge us an extra $3 per month. But, now, thanks to my husband, we will be paying $2 less per month and kicking back with some Showtime. I knew I married him for a reason.

JOE IZENMAN Music/Theater Critic
First up: preview night of Frost/Nixon at Tacoma Little Theatre (review inevitable in next week's issue, because I know everyone's been missing my writing skillz). Then venturing to the far-off mythical Northern land of "Anacortes" for birthday shenanigans (not mine) and wedding planning excursions (mine). I'll check back into the (relatively) South Sound on Sunday, with a show rocking the keyboard of Deborah Page at the long-lived J&M Cafe.

BRETT CIHON Meat Market Correspondent/Features Writer
Friday night I'm checking out South Pacific in Tumwater. The cover band Stir Crazy will be rockin' the joint. Then for the rest of the weekend: playoffs, playoffs, playoffs.

REV. ADAM MCKI: Lifestyle/Leisure Writer
Friday, I'll be at the Makeup Monsters show at The New Frontier. It's their last one for a while, so it's bound to be packed. The next day, I'll be meeting up with Apache Chief at their dad's house to talk about their forthcoming album, and apparently listen to it on cassette. Come to think of it, Matt Driscoll had a similar experience a while ago... This is where we'd flashback if flashback existed.

JOANN VARNELL Theater Critic
Another weekend of being mom awaits. Friday night I'll probably watch the Netflix movie that's been on my coffee table for the last two weeks. Saturday I will learn the songs to play on Sunday. Sunday is for church, football and a long nap. Yawn

CHRISTIAN CARVAJAL: Theater Critic
Beginning with a free preview the very night this week's Volcano hits the streets, I'll be playing Bob Zelnick in Tacoma Little Theatre's production of Frost/Nixon. Hey, Tacomans, it's your first chance to come see locally whether I know what I'm talking about when I write about your work.

MATT DRISCOLL  Editor (the guy to blame)
Self loathing. Dr Pepper. Queso-dip. Toddler tantrums. More self loathing. The Hawks game. The rest of the playoff games that actually matter. Even more self loathing. And maybe I'll order a pizza from the Cloverleaf...

ALEC CLAYTON: Visual Arts Critic
 It's going to be a weekend for plays. Frost/Nixon at Tacoma Little Theatre and Ring Around the Moon at Lakewood Playhouse.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

GOODNESS IN STORE IN PRINT & ONLINE >>>

Sure, sometimes we all feel a little like that dead guy Peter Fonda stumbled upon this week, but in times like these - unless you really are physically dead - it's important to keep your chin up and your feet moving forward. Perhaps some Weekly Volcano music coverage is just what the doctor ordered ...

Here's a look at the musical goodness in store in print and online in this week's Volcano

DRAGGING AN OX THROUGH WATER & GHOST TO FALCO

Portland multi-instrumentalists Dragging an Ox Through Water and Ghost to Falco make enveloping, hard-to-categorize music. Dragging an Ox Through Water (Brian Mumford) colors his folky jams with circuit-bent flourishes from tweaked oscillators and light-dependent resistors.

Historically, Ghost to Falco (Eric Crespo) has played his eclectic, Elverum-esque compositions solo, but for his show at The Den, he'll be joined by Ryne Warner (of Castanets) and Aan's Bud Wilson. - Jason Baxter

GREYLAG

I don't believe that Greylag are charlatans. A four-piece from Portland, the band makes music that wisely avoids any attempt to replicate traditional folk tropes, instead focusing efforts on creating a warm ambience of airy harmonies, gentle guitars and distantly chugging drums. Were it not for the insistent momentum that the drums provide, one might worry for a Greylag song evaporating into the atmosphere - as in "Winter White," which nearly floats off before being plucked down by its toes. - Rev. Adam McKinney

WHEELIES

To celebrate the birthday of Neil Harris, owner of The New Frontier Lounge, the venue has booked pizza-loving indie rock bikers Wheelies (no strangers to The New Frontier), caffeinated 253 veterans Gold Teeth ("the most rock and roll band in Tacoma") and ecstatic Tacoma punks The Fucking Eagles. - JB

ROMAN HOLIDAY

The Volcano has sung the praises of Roman Holiday plenty of times before. With a local brand of seemingly arena-ready pop rock, the band -  led by longtime friends Shane Lance (lead vocals, guitar) and Emerson Shotwell (drums) - has been rocking hard and looking good doing it in these parts since 2008. - Matt Driscoll

MAKEUP MONSTERS

Makeup Monsters (formerly the duo of Shayne Weeks and Isaac Solverson, now a trio including Jay Clancy) are a band that's frustratingly talented, handsome and widely beloved. They're also remarkably young - something that's been discussed to death here and elsewhere. - JB (Video courtesy of YouTube/ Kris Crews)

PLUS: Concert Alert

THURSDAY, JAN. 13>>>

1. You love grand openings! That's why you're so stoked about the 4 p.m. grand opening of the Milton/Edgewood Pierce Library this afternoon. Opening in the Surprise Lake Square (900 Meridian Ave. E, Suite 29), the event is billed as your first chance to get a library card, check out a book or check your MySpace at the brand-spanking new library. (Technically, we made the bit about MySpace up ...)

2. Greylag AND Liz Janes play tonight at Northern in Olympia. We've covered both acts, and for good reason.

3. Tin Man (or Tinman - we've seen it both ways) will play the Mandolin Café in Tacoma this evening.  An acoustic based singer songwriter, Tin Man started out as a singer in punk bands and over time has evolved into an act fit for the warm, coffee-smelling environment of the Mandolin.

4. The Garfield Book Company Scandinavian Book Club meets at 6:30 p.m. on the second Thursday of every month. Hey! That's today!

5. Sea Marks opens at Olympia Little Theatre today (and runs Thursday - Sunday through Jan. 30). Described as the "humorous, poignant and romantic story of Colin Primrose, a lonely fisherman form the sea bound island of Cliffhorn Heads, Ireland, and Timothea, a lovely young woman from Liverpool, who meets him on a rare visit to the remote island for a relative's wedding," Sea Marks is one of many worthy productions hitting stages this week.

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 12 >>>

1. Local grunge and feedback driven band Dreams Jaded will rock Hell's Kitchen tonight. If you like the idea of your ears ringing on a Wednesday night, this one's totally in your wheelhouse.

2. If you're in Oly, and you like the idea of sitting criss-cross-apple sauce and listening to some well-written, emotionally-weighted tunes, check out Kimya Dawson, Defiance OH and Your Heart Breaks tonight at 7:30 p.m. at the Olympia Timberland Library.

3. It's "Wacky Wednesday" at Chalet Bowl in picturesque North Tacoma. What exactly does this mean? Tough to say. What we do know is it's an all-you-can-bowl extravaganza for two hours - 9 - 11 p.m. - and it costs $5.50 a person.

4. If you're reading this, you probably passed on the opportunity - but there's a 40-mile training ride led by the Tacoma Wheelman Bicycle Club kicking off at 9:30 a.m. today at the Proctor District Starbucks. Peddle fast and you might still make it ...

5. Ah shit. It's college night at Masa in Tacoma - one of the sexiest places to get your groove on in T-Town. Also, Masa wants you to know "Your Girlfriend's Favorite DJ" is spinning - so that's a good thing, right? The action really gets smoking around 10 p.m.

TACOMA ART MUSEUM CELEBRATES NATIVE AMERICAN HERITAGE AND ARTS >>>

We know about Mighty Tacoma, the photo exhibition of Tacoma landmarks and portraits at Tacoma Art Museum. But Tacoma was mighty before most of us were here, and TAM acknowledges this proud history with a celebration of Tacoma's Native American heritage.

Sunday, Jan. 30 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. the museum will be alive with Native celebration and art as the public is invited to experience the heritage and the arts of thePuyallup Tribe and other Coast Salish groups. The Coastal Native Celebration is an annual event featuring cultural performances and hands-on art activities for all ages. And here's the really good part: the museum is offering free admission all day.

"We are pleased to continue this annual event honoring our community's Native American heritage and artistic traditions," says Stephanie A. Stebich, director of Tacoma Art Museum. "We invite everyone to come and create memories with us as we connect our past to our present through art."

Cultural performances will include drumming, dance and singing from local tribes as well as Native storytellers who will share their talents and their tales throughout the day. (There better be stories about Coyote the trickster.)

Hands-on activities will include traditional basket weaving and other crafts.

Local artist Linda Levier will demonstrate jewelry making and help visitors create their own traditional Native American necklaces. There will even be a chance to look at and buy a variety of items from local artists including wood carvings, jewelry, silver works, regalia and basketry.

Food inspired by Coastal cuisine from Jonz Catering will be served the The Workz Café.

While at the celebration, take some time to enjoy the artwork of two exhibitions that will soon close: The Movement of Impressionism: Europe, America, and the Northwest and Edo to Tacoma: Japanese Woodblock Prints from the Collection. Where else can you find Native American art, European and American Impressionism, Japanese prints and local history all in one stop?

Also, stop in and have your photo taken in the exhibition Mighty Tacoma: Photographic Portrait 2010. For more on the interactive Mighty Tacoma photo portraits go to the "Picture Yourself Here" page on the TAM website and become a part of the exhibition.

Also coming soon: A Night in Japan with guests from the Consulate-General of Japan, Jan. 20 from 5-8 p.m. Japanese treats will be served and there will be a screening of the anime film Miyori's Forest (Miyori no mori). It's free.

TUESDAY, JAN. 11 >>>

1. See the Saint Martin's University men's basketball team on real TV for the first time ever - as they battle the Western Oregon University Wolves tonight on Fox Sports Net.

2. It's Tuesday, which means it's - obviously - time for "Ha Ha Tuesdays" at Jazzbones. Tonight, comedian Andy Andrist gets the laughs going.

3. In the mood for a great cup of coffee, something tasty, and perhaps a little acoustically woven classic rock? Oh, and want it to be all ages, so you don't have to worry about what to do with the kids, or whether you'll need your fake ID? Try Josiah & Sam Bogle tonight at the Mandolin Café. The duo starts at 7 p.m., and there's no cover charge.

4. Are you kind of broke, but still need sustenance and more importantly beer? Try Tightwad Tuesdays at Hell's Kitchen - think $2 beers, $2 wells and $2 for any taco.

5. If you're going to enter the science fair in Puyallup, you may as well have success. Are we right, or are we right? Tonight, check out the Puyallup School District "Science Fair Information Night" at the Puyallup Fair and Events Center. The schooling starts at 6:30 p.m.